Technology is fundamentally reshaping the way people function in today’s world, with improvements in connectivity and functionality occurring at a rapid pace. For example, we count on social media to help us connect with friends and colleagues around the world, we use crowd-sourced maps that offer up-to-the-minute directions to wherever we’re going, and we can manage our homes from anywhere in the world using an app on our phones. This latest wave of connected technology has given Invitation Homes new tools to improve our business, all on a scale that was unthinkable not that long ago.
Smart Home Technology
We use Smart Home technology in our homes to help improve the convenience of our residents’ daily lives and to monitor our homes when they are between residents. This system – installed in more than 40% of our homes and growing – gives residents a tool to essentially control multiple aspects of their home through their mobile device. We offer a range of features, including remote temperature control, remote lock and unlock capabilities, unique access codes for individual users, and notification when a door opens. These tools lead to better energy efficiency, give residents control over their utility bills and provide peace of mind whether they’re out of town, at the office or relaxing at home. And when our homes are between residents, we use the Smart Home technology in the same way – to monitor the homes’ security and energy systems – which helps us identify concerns and act quickly to protect our asset.
Optimizing Our Maintenance Process
We also are finding new ways to use data and technology to improve the way we conduct maintenance on our homes. We recently launched an advanced scheduling and route optimization program designed to improve the efficiency of our maintenance technicians. We’ve developed a scheduling algorithm that more accurately calculates the time it takes our technicians to complete various projects and, using Google API, the time it will take them to get to the next job. This increases our scheduling confidence, maximizing the number of daily maintenance visits we can perform.
Finding a Home
Finally, we are making it easier for house hunters to visit our homes. With our automated entry system, potential new residents have the option to contact us for a code that will allow them to enter and tour one of our homes without the extra step of scheduling a real estate agent. Potential residents can explore multiple properties on their own and act quickly when they find the one that best suits their needs.
Technology will continue to offer up new ways to enhance our business. As America’s premier home leasing company, we’re committed to staying ahead of the curve and exploring technology that will improve our responsiveness, simplify our work, take advantage of our scale and, most importantly, make life easier for our residents. That’s part of the Invitation Homes experience, and we will continue to work hard every day to be the best company in our industry.